Japan is the land of the vending machine. I never saw so many. They are everywhere, but bring your coins for as techie as Japan is they don’t take charge cards.

Final words: Red buttons are hot drinks, Blue buttons are cold drinks.

I wish we had these vending machines in our US airports. Though I always bring an empty water bottle through TSA to defray cost, these vending machines might be a job for the disabled or profits to charity if we used them in the US?.

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I would love to send this picture to other Asian countries. With a few extra pieces of metal Japan has neatly organized their wire infrastructure. Anyone who has traveled Asia knows what I am talking about. Enough said.

What America has done for parking garages Japan has done for toilets. Yes, in every rest stop along the highway there is a sign similar to this designating what is open and what is not for your needs.

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They also have signage for special needs. Those who need sinks in their bathroom have this listed on the sign. And if you are Chinese and prefer to use that type of receptacle the sign directs you to the

appropriate lavatory.

Once inside the bathroom there is a variety of items on the wall to make your stay more comfortable.

The seat, covered or naked, is warm. Upon completion of your business a decision is

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made asto which type of cleansing is required. The amount of spray, force etc.. is handled by these buttons. The toilet automatically flushes upon departure from the stall.

The rest stops also planned for the wee folk. Separate bathroom areas with small toilets close to the ground and low level

urinals are present as well. These rest stops were an interesting departure from our US rest stops. Bathroom etiquette will never be the same…

Till the next blog…. Kathleen